The One-Straw Revolution - Multiworld India

are distributed over the field, which is then flooded and plowed to apea-soup consistency. When the seedlings are about eight inches tall,they are transplanted by hand to the field. Working steadily, an experiencedfarmer can transplant about one-third of an acre in a day, butthe job is almost always done by many people working together.Once the rice has been transplanted, the field is lightly cultivatedbetween the rows. It is then hand-weeded, and often mulched. For threemonths the field stays flooded, the water standing an inch or more abovethe surface of the ground. Harvesting is done with a hand sickle. The riceis bundled and hung on wooden or bamboo racks for a few weeks to drybefore threshing. From transplanting to harvest, every inch of the field isgone over at least four times by hand.As soon as the rice harvest is completed, the field is plowed and thesoil is shaped into flattened ridges about a foot wide divided by drainagefurrows. The seeds of rye or barley are scattered on' top of the hills andcovered with soil. This rotation was made possible by a well-timedplanting schedule and care to keep the fields well supplied with organicmatter and essential nutrients. It is remarkable that, using the traditionalmethod, Japanese farmers grew a crop of rice and a winter grain cropeach year in the same field for centuries without reducing the fertility ofthe soil.Though he recognizes many virtues of the traditional farming, Mr.Fukuoka feels that it involves work that is unnecessary. He speaks of hisown methods as "do-nothing" farming and says that they make it possibleeven for a "Sunday farmer" to grow enough food for the whole family.He does not mean, however, that his sort of farming can be done entirelyxxvi